Picky? Freaky? or Just Quirky? Analyzing Eating Habits Can Be Tricky

From freaky eaters to picky eaters to people who just eat waaaay too much, many of us love to learn about other people's eating habits. Studying the diets of others is not a new trend. I remember my grandmother reciting that childhood poem when she joined me for lunch during my elementary school years:

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
And so betwixt the two of them
They licked the platter clean."

I was extremely picky about what I would eat -- and wouldn't eat. Lunch had to be precisely the same, seven days a week: two slices of white bread spread with creamy peanut butter, cut on the diagonal; one red apple, cut into quarters, and two cinnamon graham crackers with a glass of milk. My grandmother, in contrast, loved to experiment with very rich foods - I remember watching, in fascinated horror, as she once ate French toast stuffed with cream cheese and topped with maple syrup, dripping with butter.

Picky, Picky, Picky vs. Totally Not Icky

The January/February 2011 issue of Psychology Today magazine includes a feature story on three different types of eaters: picky eaters, adventurous gourmets, and what the author calls "reformed and regimented."

The first category includes adults with picky eating habits. Although many children restrict their eating and refuse to try new foods, adults who fall into the picky eating category also restrict what they will -- and won't -- eat. I identify with this category. In fact, I have a friend who frequently complains that I'm "no fun to shop with," because I am so picky about what I order in restaurants. My eating habits are in part health-related, however: I have a variety of food allergies, such as shellfish and certain types of nuts, and even ingesting by accident just the tiniest amount makes me horribly ill.

Adventurous gourmets, in contrast, have a sort of "bring it on" attitude about food. The Psychology Today article lists chicken feet and blood sausage as examples of the types of foods that these bold souls willingly sample. Although these gourmets are willing to risk trying these foods once, they don't necessarily have to love them. Just taking the risk qualifies them for this category. To them, apparently, there is no such item as an "icky" food (yuck).

And then there are those who decide to transform their diets out of a desire for health, to lose weight, or to seek structure, what the article describes as "reformed and regimented." Note that this group, like the picky eaters, can be perfectly innocent -- or can verge over that thin line into the category of disordered eating.

How Do You Know If You Need Help With Your Eating Habits

Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CCH, CEDS, and founder of Rebecca's House Eating Disorder Treatment Programs, authored the book "Diets Don't Work." With regard to picky eating, she says that "many adolescents start an eating disorder with picky eating. That is not to say that all picky eaters will become adults with eating disorders, but many eating disorders start with dieting or eliminating certain food groups."

Rebecca also cautions that scientific evidence exists showing that "the cycle of deprivation followed by a binge can actually produce alterations in the brain that can have long-term or permanent affects. Today we are seeing more people who are middle age that have succumbed to an eating disorder."

If you want to change your behavior but can't manage to do so, it "could be an eating disorder," adds this expert. Significant signs that Rebecca recommends watching for include refusing to eat with the family, a sudden shift to wanting to prepare your own food, using food to manage unpleasant feelings such as stress, losing "a significant amount of weight in a short period of time," and "eating the same few foods (lettuce, yogurt, dry cereal) at all meals."

Other signals that an eating disorder exists in someone else is if that person "becomes very defensive when questioned about eating habits or exercise," says Rebecca, or if someone "eats small amounts with others, hides food, and then binges privately."

If an eating disorder is suspected, "it is important to get a medical check-up to make sure there is not a medical reason for the behavior," according to Rebecca. "Labs should also be taken to make sure everything is in order especially electrolytes and potassium levels. Abnormal levels can actually result in a heart attack. Get an evaluation from an eating disorder specialist to determine what action to take."

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Sources:

(1) January/February 2011 issue of Psychology Today magazine
(2) Interview conducted by Joanne Eglash with eating disorders expert Rebecca Cooper.